CVE-2020-13110: Kerberos DLL Injection Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-m2mx-rfpw-jghv
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CVSS 7.8
CWE-427
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-13110 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.8) dll injection vulnerability (CWE-427: Uncontrolled Search Path Element) affecting Kerberos libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves dll injection in kerberos. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.0.0.

CVE-2020-13110 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-13110
GHSA Identifier GHSA-m2mx-rfpw-jghv
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.8
CWE Classification CWE-427: Uncontrolled Search Path Element
Affected Product Kerberos
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2020-13110

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Kerberos dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

kerberos fixed: 1.0.0 
npm install kerberos@1.0.0
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls kerberos

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2020-13110, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls kerberos

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Kerberos in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.0.0), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls kerberos command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-427: Uncontrolled Search Path Element, where the product uses a fixed or controlled search path to find resources, but one or more locations in that path can be under the control of unintended actors. In Kerberos, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

Version of `kerberos` prior to 1.0.0 are vulnerable to DLL Injection. The package loads DLLs without specifying a full path. This may allow attackers to create a file with the same name in a folder that precedes the intended file in the DLL path search. Doing so would allow attackers to execute arbitrary code in the machine. ## Recommendation Upgrade to version 1.0.0 or later.

CVE-2020-13110 Affected Kerberos Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.0.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
kerberos
npm/kerberos
npm
< 1.0.0
1.0.0

References

NVD — CVE-2020-13110 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-13110
Kerberos Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mongodb-js/kerberos
medium.com/@kiddo_ha3ker/dll-i... WEB
https://medium.com/@kiddo_Ha3ker/dll-injection-attack-in-kerberos-npm-package-cb4b32031cd
www.linkedin.com/posts/op-innovate_d... WEB
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/op-innovate_dll-injection-attack-in-kerberos-npm-package-activity-6667043749547253760-kVlW
www.npmjs.com/advisories/1514 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/1514
www.op-c.net/2020/05/15/dll-inje... WEB
https://www.op-c.net/2020/05/15/dll-injection-attack-in-kerberos-npm-package

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-13110?
CVE-2020-13110 is a security vulnerability in Kerberos involving DLL Injection in kerberos under CWE-427: Uncontrolled Search Path Element.
Which Kerberos versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.0.0 across affected packages: kerberos.
What version fixes CVE-2020-13110?
Upgrading to 1.0.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is kerberos affected?
Yes, kerberos is affected in releases prior to 1.0.0. Upgrade your dependency to 1.0.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-13110?
CVE-2020-13110 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-13110?
CVE-2020-13110 is classified under CWE-427: Uncontrolled Search Path Element (The product uses a fixed or controlled search path to find resources, but one or more locations in that path can be under the control of unintended actors.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2020-13110?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls kerberos'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-m2mx-rfpw-jghv",
  "modified" : "2023-08-21T19:57:14Z",
  "published" : "2020-09-04T18:01:59Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-13110" ],
  "summary" : "DLL Injection in kerberos",
  "details" : "Version of `kerberos` prior to 1.0.0 are vulnerable to DLL Injection. The package loads DLLs without specifying a full path. This may allow attackers to create a file with the same name in a folder that precedes the intended file in the DLL path search. Doing so would allow attackers to execute arbitrary code in the machine.\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nUpgrade to version 1.0.0 or later.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "kerberos"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.0.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-13110"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mongodb-js/kerberos"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://medium.com/@kiddo_Ha3ker/dll-injection-attack-in-kerberos-npm-package-cb4b32031cd"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.linkedin.com/posts/op-innovate_dll-injection-attack-in-kerberos-npm-package-activity-6667043749547253760-kVlW"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/1514"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.op-c.net/2020/05/15/dll-injection-attack-in-kerberos-npm-package"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-427" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-08-31T19:01:58Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}